The Chesapeake Bay Area

It all starts with water, not much, just a trickle from a spring or surface water from rain. The trickle joins many more to form a rivulet then a stream or brook, later a creek, perhaps a river, all forms of tributaries which feed into a major body of water – in this case the Chesapeake Bay which is fed by more than 150 rivers and creeks as well as thousands of minor tributaries.

Our bay is an estuary where fresh and tidal salt water mix. It is surrounded by a vast watershed of 64,000 square miles involving five states and the District of Columbia. The 190 mile long Chesapeake supports extraordinary ecosystems that support 3600 species of plants and animals and living in diverse habitats. With 12,000 miles of shore line, it’s no wonder, that the bay attracts more than a million wildfowl a year and hosts a major fish and shellfish industry, notably the blue crabs, oysters and striped bass.

The Chesapeake region provided a unique haven for early habitants, explorers, settlers from Great Britain and the Continent and presently it is a magnet for their many descendants along with thousands of others who are attracted to our “faire shores.”

It is no wonder that this region attracts so many visitors and seasonal home owners. Tidewater residents, both human and wildlife, have long realized that the Mid Shore is one of the finest places in America to call home.